Hey you all!!!! Thank you so much for all your lovely pictures and good wishes.I didn't celebrate my birthday as such on my birthday,since I had some pupils coming who hadn't been able to come the week before due to communion appointments plus the Jordanian neighbours' pampered six-year-old also celebrated her birthday and all the aunts (in tents),uncles,cousins and probably greatuncles and third cousins assembled in the garden next to ours and,as they don't tend to watch boundaries (except their own) sort of spilled out all over the place,personally and audibly (they brought their own music,hurray) so I escaped with the family and went to a witchfest in the afternoon instead.Then we had a quiet little family barbie the weekend after.

I've been gardening a lot but also have had various appointments at doctors (Emma had an allergy explosion and Ceddie had pneumonia,again..)quite often at the dentists (Joel has gotten brackets,and Brianna braces) ,at schools (Ced is preparing for his exams before transferring to a different school for his A-levels,so we had to find the right school for him first) and several times with a school social worker because of Brianna's being bullied.

Plus,of course,the usual madness of cleaning,washing,tidying,shopping...oh,and my " favorite" aunt fell off a ladder while renovating and broke a vertebra and had to be rushed off to hospital and operated.She can now be used as a radio receiver because of all the metal in her back,which must be a bonus for her.She was always complaining her life was so boring and I just didn't organize myself properly.Well,I certainly organized getting all the little odds and ends she can't live without,apparently,into the hospital for her every day,to her satisfaction.( I hope,anyway,doubtless I'll be hearing about it as soon as she is back on her feet) So please forgive me for not picking my birthday wishes up on time and Happy birthday back to all others I missed to congratulate while I wasnt here.

It's great to know you're all here when I come up for air.Btw,I might be in London this summer for a week again.I hope to be able to come back online before.